Ode to the Future
by ClancyEnthusiast
Summary: Sigma is dead, as is the virus which is the very cause of the maverick rebellion. With Zero gone and Axl injured, X is left to contemplate what awaits the remaining Maverick Hunters now that their fight is over.


A/N: Honestly, I have _no _clue what this is supposed to be. I mean, obviously it's a Megaman oneshot, but I have _no clue _what I'm doing uploading it. I guess between writer's block and watching about a hundred different Megaman Let's Plays on YouTube, I idea is just stuck in my head. (It probably doesn't help much that I'm writing this at midnight.) Anyway, here's to hoping that this doesn't suck too much. When I'm half-asleep my mind is just a mess of thoughts, it's not even funny. Try to enjoy it folks!

-Ode to the Future-

It was truly hard to believe it was over. Years of battling the dreaded virus, all leading up to the widespread peace they now faced. The Maverick Hunters were finally victorious, and to see the fruition of an endless age of war between two entities was a remarkable thing—too remarkable. They'd faced some the worst plague the earth had ever seen, in the form of the dreaded virus which had been the source of the entire conflict, and now they were supposed to believe it was _really _over? Just like that? It was too farfetched for their sentient minds to comprehend; a bare bones robot wouldn't have given it a second thought.

And now the world seemed truly a happier place. X stood outside the base of the Maverick Hunters, the new building perched safely in the Caucasus mountains. What was once snow centuries prior now yielded to a green landscape of lush trees and foliage. He could see the rivers miles below, once frozen over in a tundra so fierce it would have destroyed even their most sturdy alloy frames. Now it was so…

"Beautiful, isn't it?" An all-to-familiar voice asked from nearby, and X looked over in time to see her standing near him.

Alia, with her loose golden locks and perfect young visage. For him to say a perfect sentient being was something that came with no problems would have been a utterly horrid lie; X was undoubtedly infatuated with the stunning girl standing a mere three feet away. She was the truest beauty to grace their otherwise unbreakable unit. A navigator herself, she was never one to deny her own ability to take on even the most dangerous Maverick. Here tenacity was unparalleled, as was her ability to set her private emotions aside in the best interests of her team members. Now with no mavericks to battle and no struggles in the immediate future, there was no reason to hold back. In the past few weeks the caring and love she held for her friends had seen no obstruction. She was finally allowed to let herself feel.

"Yeah." He stayed with her, admiring the scene set out before them. "There's so much we're able to experience, now that the virus is really dead. Sigma with it."

She nodded knowingly. "It's true. Now that the threat of a maverick uprising is gone, we'll probably just be retired from service. At least, that's what Signas says."

Her voice carried the faintest twinge of sorrow.

X nodded. To not fight anymore was saddening in just the most abstract way. After all, their very existence had revolved around the need to fight, to defend. Without this goal, what were the Maverick Hunters? Mere reploids? It was a turnout that came just a bit too difficult to accept. It was a bittersweet moment, for all of them.

"It's okay, you know." He tried. X turned to her and gazed for several moments, before sliding off the railing he'd been sitting on and jerking his head once towards the mountains before them. "Before, we fought. And yeah, it was hard, but it was what we did. Now, we have this."

Alia followed his direction and stared again out at the sight. With X's words repeating in her mind, the image of the bright green mountains of the Caucasus region seemed to yield new meaning. She smiled and nodded once. "You're right."

But there was something that bothered her, something that seemed ever so out of place. "Now, we have this." It was believable, yes, but the "we" was just solemn. Zero had abandoned them when it looked like Sigma had been finished, and Axl had suffered recent damages that left him too severely maimed for any serious work. Without those people, their friends, who was the "we?"

"X?" She whispered, and he glanced at her for the briefest moment. He could sense her uncertainty, she was sure, but she persevered. Out of nowhere her hand grasped his ever-so-gently.

And as though he could have read her thoughts, he gripped it back. The faintest squeeze accompanied their contact, and Alia suddenly felt relieved. She _knew_ who the "we" was, and the knowledge merely strengthened her resolve. They now faced peace, a concept so foreign and unfamiliar that its mere existence seemed as daunting as any war had ever been. But… they would face it together, the two of them. In a moment, years of pent up emotions—some of them one-sided—were released. As soon as he happened to look away, Alia moved forward and let her lips meet his.

The kiss was unimaginable. Brief, yet so translucent it seemed to cross the boundaries of reality. The feeling of their lips crashing against each other was both intoxicating and—for lack of a better term—_electrifying_. How the sensation had avoided them over years of companionship was unknown; at that moment memories of uprisings and viruses seemed to dissipate as X moved to cup her cheek. A moment too late, as she parted somewhat awkwardly.

Alia stood there, suddenly aware of the situation she'd put them in. X, dumbfounded, remained silent for the duration of the next few minutes. When the idea to say "I'm sorry" entered her mind, he managed a smile.

Immediately she felt his hand find hers again, and in what seemed like an impossible gesture, he merely drew her closer to draw in the site. With nothing else to do but accept his response for what it was, an acceptance, she merely leaned into his side and embraced the circumstances. She'd come out onto the walkway with not even the blessing of knowing what was set out before them. Now she knew that, whatever the specifics may be, she'd face it with the only true loving companion she'd ever really known. Gate, as a friend, had proven to be irreplaceable in his own way. But X had experienced so much with her, and such trials did not go without a tremendous bond resulting. That bond, they new, was of the kind shared between a loving couple. The willingness to face whatever the world might throw at them. Maverick Hunters or not.

For X, it was much the same. Years of privately longing for Alia, wanting her attention as a friend and a lover had finally seen fruition. (That was the problem that their creator had not considered in producing robots with a sentient personality: the pain of heartbreak.) But the revelation of her affections was doubly inspiring when set alongside the new journeys they now faced… together.

For the remainder of the afternoon they stayed with each other, staring out at the mountains not really paying any real attention to the site of the green overgrowth or setting sun. Instead the main rush came out of the continuing comfort in their interlocking fingers. Every so often, the brief glance would be shared, accompanied by the cordial smile that had inspired the encounter.

For X, it was an apt a reward for decades of relentless fighting as he could ask for.

A/N: I know, what the hell am _I _doing writing a fic like this? Well don't ask me, 'cause I don't know. If I could crawl into the depths of my mind and figure out what kind of inspiration made me do this, I would But I digress. Reviews are much appreciated, and feedback is welcome. Keep it civil and keep it productive. Later!


End file.
